Many florists work closely with brides to create quality bridal bouquets and other wedding flowers. Delivering the highest quality of customer satisfaction starts by knowing exactly what the bride wants and how to give it to her. The modern bride assumes many roles and is often referred to as an “echo boomer bride” or “millennial bride,” both nods to their Generation Y status. There are many helpful things to remember about these modern brides that will make creating the perfect wedding flowers much easier for your consumers.

What’s In A Name?

“Echo boomer” refers to the baby boomer generation who are the parents of the echo boomer brides. “Millennial brides” is often used to refer to brides who married after the beginning of the new millennium, but this is still typically the Generation Y crowd. Modern brides have very distinctive tastes and desires but favor advice from Read the rest of Satisfying Today’s Echo Boomer Brides »

Do you ever ask yourself “What is SEO”? You’ve heard the term, but you don’t understand what it means. SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Of course this really doesn’t explain what it is or how it relates to you.

According to Wikipedia, “Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (”organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it “ranks,” the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.”

According to Jill Whalen of High Rankings ( an expert in SEO) the definition is “Search Engine Optimization - Making a website be the best it can be for the search engines as well as the site visitors.”

I tend to prefer the second definition. There are many techniques and components involved in SEO and this article by no means is the end all, be all of Search Engine Optimization. There are many reputable sources available that can give you in depth SEO information: High Rankings, Seomoz or Search Engine Land. It is however, an introduction and explanation of what Flower Shop Network does for its websites and what you can do to further the SEO that has been applied to all FSN websites. There are no shortcuts or magic bullets in SEO.

How Flower Shop Network Has Applied SEO To Your FSN Website
The search engines consider many components when determining the value and relevance of a page. The meta title, meta description, keywords and content are a few of the things that the search engines look for when ranking your website pages. Flower Shop Network applies several SEO techniques to each FSN website. We do keyword research to determine the words consumers use when searching for products. We write unique content for each page using the keywords. These keywords help the search engines determine what your page is about. Flower Shop Network also includes a unique meta title and meta description for each page. With this and other information, the search engines can then rank your pages in the organic results.

Examples of SEO Techniques

At the bottom of the Christmas page you will see the following content:
A Christmas gift of flowers from ADAMS FLORIST in Paragould, AR is sure to make any Christmas or Holiday celebration ‘merry and bright’! Along with our premium fresh flower choices, we offer decorative Christmas trees, Christmas gift items, and Christmas cards. Shop early for our best selection of beautiful holiday poinsettia plants with unique colors and sizes available.
Choose an eye-catching Christmas centerpiece, contemporary winter vase design, or a charming holiday basket of fragrant Christmas flowers and evergreens. Call ADAMS FLORIST in Paragould, Arkansas (AR) directly or send Christmas gifts of flowers online, along with your warmest holiday wishes for Christmas, December 25th.

The meta title for this page:
Christmas Flowers from ADAMS FLORIST - your local Paragould, AR Florist

The meta description for this page:
Christmas Flowers from ADAMS FLORIST - your local Paragould, AR Florist & Flower Shop. Order Christmas Flowers directly from ADAMS FLORIST - your local Paragould, AR florist and flower shop to save time and money.

The keywords for this page:
ADAMS FLORIST, ADAMS FLORIST Christmas flowers, ADAMS FLORIST Christmas flowers florist, ADAMS FLORIST Christmas flowers flower shop, Paragould AR Christmas flowers, Paragould AR Christmas flowers florist, Paragould AR Christmas flowers flower shop, Paragould Christmas flowers, Paragould Christmas flowers florist, Paragould Christmas flowers flower shop, AR Christmas flowers, AR Christmas flowers flowers, AR Christmas flowers florist, AR Christmas flowers flower shop, Paragould, AR, Paragould AR, Christmas flowers flowers, Christmas flowers, Christmas flowers florist, Christmas flowers flower shop

As you can see, Flower Shop Network has taken the time to create search engine friendly meta information and content for all of your website pages. You don’t have to do anything else.

However, the new customization feature on the FSN websites gives you the opportunity to enhance the SEO that we have already done for you. Content and relevancy are important elements to the search engines. Who knows your products and your customers better than you? Who can describe to your customers the benefit your product will give them better than you? Who can appeal to their emotional level better than you? You can create unique content based on your specific location and customer base which will make your pages. Search engines favor unique content that is relevant to visitors searching for products. You can compose a few paragraphs to replace or add to the content already on the page thus creating very unique content.

Unique Content Do:
Achieve the elegance of the Berry-Hill house from the Paragould Holiday Home Tour with your own Christmas decoration from Adams Florist. Choose from the spectacular selection of Christmas wreaths, holiday arrangements and centerpieces for your table. Christmas gift giving is easy when you send a poinsettia, fresh flower arrangement or fruit basket from Adams Florist. Red poinsettias are a traditional Christmas favorite and always a welcome gift. Put a twist on your Christmas celebration with one of Adams Florist’s purple novelty poinsettias.
Adams Florist wishes everyone in Paragould Arkansas a merry Christmas and a happy holiday.

Unique Content Don’t:
Christmas flowers, buy Christmas flowers, Poinsettias,wreaths,flowers,send flowers,red poinsettias,poinsettias,white poinsettias,Christmas flower arrangement (or worse) flowers, flower, flowers, flower, flowers.

The difference is the search engines have the ability to detect strings of incoherent words and will eventually penalize this type of content. Not only will the search engines prefer the good example but so will your customers. The good example gives them a reason to buy from you. This type of content achieves two purposes: it provides the search engines with a reason to see your page as relevant and unique and it gives you a way to promote your products to the customers.

Optimizing Your Product Descriptions
With the consumer in mind, Flower Shop Network has provided a search engine friendly product description for every standard product on the website. Now that you have the option of loading your own arrangements, you will need a product description for each one of them. You will use the same basic SEO principles for the product as you did for the page. Create a search engine friendly product description based on words that site visitors would use to search for your product.
Incorporate your keywords into your page description using terms your customers would use.

Product Description Do:
Ignite passion with the Red Hot Love Bouquet. These ruby red roses will set her heart a glow this Valentine’s Day. Sending flowers is an elegant way to show your love. But, this romantic bouquet presented in a keepsake crystal vase will remind her of your passion for years to come.

Product Description Don’t
Red Hot Love Bouquet for Valentine’s Day. Send Flowers on Valentine’s Day. Order Flower Valentine’s Day.

Above all write your copy for the consumer coming to your site and not just for the search engines. If you write beneficial keyword rich content that appeals to the consumer, you will create copy that others will potential share. People sharing your content can result in links to your page which is a component of what the search engines look for when ranking your page. Hopefully with these SEO tips you can easily and effectively take part in optimizing your site for the search engines.

At Fuqua and Sheffield Florist in Richmond, Virginia,  we strive to have the best flowers, arrangements and customer service around. All of my associates are happy when they come to work, and it reflects that when they speak with customers. I try to keep a light and humorous atmosphere and let people be who they are.

Every customer has a unique story or reason for sending flowers. We need to capture that moment and emotion.  My Staff and I feel privileged knowing that our customers are trusting us to send their expressions of love, sympathy, celebration and many other occasions through our shop. From the moment we answer the phone until we deliver the flower arrangement, it should be a wonderful experience for both us and the customer. Read the rest of 5 Fabulous Customer Service Tips »

Avoiding fraudulent orders is not always as easy as it seems. Just ask Lorie at My Flower Shop in Cambridge, Ontario who recently had an encounter with a fraudulent order. Thanks to her diligence and attention to detail, Lorie was able to abate the results of her experience and walk away clean. To avoid fraudulent orders in your flower shop, use these tips from Flower Shop Network.

• Scrutinize unusually large or hurried orders. Almost all fraudulent orders tend to be larger than average. Though some instances call for large orders, note particularly large and hurried orders.
• Pay attention to the signature on the card. Make sure that the signature on the card matches

Read the rest of Quick And Easy Ways To Spot Fraudulent Orders »